


Twins Are Dangerous: Byleth (Male)

by theflyingpan



Series: Twins_Are_Dangerous_AU [8]
Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Major Spoilers, Minor Spoilers, Twin AU, Twin Byleths, Twins_Are_Dangerous AU, still suck at tags, typical cannon violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-07
Updated: 2019-11-07
Packaged: 2021-01-24 18:57:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,978
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21343114
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theflyingpan/pseuds/theflyingpan
Summary: This is the first part of the Twins Are Dangerous AU with the twins in the spotlight this time! This part follows the twins from birth up to the day they meet the three house leaders through the eyes of Male Byleth, and will explore my personal head cannons for the twins and their birth.Warning! I have not played through the entire game and as a result I don't know all the cannon details, so most of this is my head cannons and theories thrust into an AU.
Series: Twins_Are_Dangerous_AU [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1465258
Kudos: 30





	Twins Are Dangerous: Byleth (Male)

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first part of the Twins Are Dangerous AU with the twins in the spotlight this time! This part follows the twins from birth up to the day they meet the three house leaders through the eyes of Male Byleth, and will explore my personal head cannons for the twins and their birth.
> 
> Warning! I have not played through the entire game and as a result I don't know all the cannon details, so most of this is my head cannons and theories thrust into an AU.

When Byleth was born, a full three minutes before his sister, he was nearly stone cold in Rhea’s arms. He wiggled as he struggled to breathe, his heart already failing him. Rhea rushed into a side room clutching his body, laying him on a table. He slowly breathed out, his body finally giving up and dying. Byleth’s spirit started to slowly slip before Rhea placed the crest stone in his heart, praying with tears in her eyes for the procedure to work.

“Shh little one” He heard a soft voice coo, and his heart started to glow. Rhea sobbed in relief as he started to breathe again, not noticing the same glow coming from his sister’s body. Rhea gently picked Byleth up, wrapping him in a soft towel, and was halfway out the door when a small whimper echoed in the room. He was silent as Rhea wrapped and cradled his sister next to him, yet he could feel a small hand grab his own. He stayed asleep as Jeralt took his small body in his arms, cradling the two to his body as he cried for his wife. Byleth only woke later in the night, when his sister shifted her body and pressed her cheek against his own. The burning feeling of her flesh lulled him back to sleep.

((Rhea had to choose one twin to save, she only had one crest stone after all. She didn’t have any second thoughts as she focused her efforts to save Byleth’s life, and didn’t feel any remorse over picking the boy’s life over his sister’s. Luckily for Byleth, his sister survived despite all odds, and Rhea wondered what sort of connection the boy had with his twin that allowed her to live as well.))

* * *

When Byleth was wrapped tightly in a bundle next to his sister, as their father burned a way out of Garrac Mac, he only woke once during the ride out. He felt the cool breeze on his face when his father opened the bundle to inspect the children, but only woke when the horse suddenly jolted into a run. He opened his eyes to protest, but only saw his sister, green eyes blinking at him and hands reaching over and patting his cold chest. Warmth seeped into his body and he calmed down enough to sleep. He missed the way she smiled knowingly at him, her own eyes closing to join him in slumber.

((Jeralt was worried for the safety of his son and daughter while he escaped from the monastery, but his kids slept peacefully and dreamt of a kind looking girl with long green hair and a kind smile.))

* * *

When Byleth was an infant, he hardly made a sound. It was actually fairly easy to pull off, as his sister cried enough for the two of them; She cried out for her own needs to be met, and she also tended to fuss when Byleth himself was hungry or sleepy. He didn’t mind too much (he was a baby after all), but this tended to worry his father. After sitting his sister down with a hand mirror one day, Jeralt picked Byleth up and gently cradled the boy close to his face.

“Hey little fella…” He smiled softly, and Byleth simply stared into his father’s amber eyes. Jeralt gently rubbed his thumb over Byleth’s cheek, murmuring to him softly, and Byleth yawned as sleep took hold. “Why don’t you cry like your sister, huh kid?” Jeralt asked, a sad smile on his face. “Does she steal all your tears away? Hmm?” Byleth simply blinked at his father, his eyes getting tired as the deep rumble of his father’s voice lulled him to sleep. “It’s okay to cry Byleth, I don’t want my son to grow up and hide his feelings…” Jeralt gently explained, but Byleth was already asleep, not seeing the way his father frowned in worry at his child.

((Byleth also missed the way his sister wailed at the sight of her own reflection, only stirring a bit when her body was placed next to him in the bed. He didn’t realize his body had moved to grab her hand, or how the action seemed to calm her even more. Jeralt simply smiled sadly at his kids, hundreds of worries already eating away at him.))

* * *

When Byleth was old enough to walk, he found himself lagging behind his sister. While he had to walk carefully and slowly around mercenary camps and small towns while he learned how to move his body, his twin was already walking with ease and skill—as if she was born knowing how. He was grateful that she was thoughtful of him at least, always patiently waiting as he wobbled behind her and sometimes gently taking his hand to lead him around. He only found it slightly embarrassing, as Jeralt’s men would coo and tease the twins over it. Byleth tried to ignore the snickers that he received as the two walked around the camp linked, his sister leading him around as they explored the site. He learned how to walk on his own quickly as a result, a warmth filling his cold chest when Jeralt cheered for him as Byleth took his first few steps on his own. His sister was standing behind Jeralt, her hands buried in the fur of his cloak and her eyes staring at him as they waited for Byleth to walk across the length of their tent on his own. Only stumbling once, Jeralt declared it a win and scooped Byleth into his arms, his laughter booming and filling the small tent. From then on, Byleth was able to explore more than where his sister wanted. While his sister avoided the windows of inn rooms, Byleth ran to pry the curtains apart and gaze at the scene in front of him. While his sister shied away from puddles after a large rainstorm, Byleth’s boots were both cleansed and dirtied as he kicked the muddy water around when the group made their way on dirt roads and muddied paths. While his sister stayed near the forest edge and looked for fallen branches, Byleth kept the horses company as they drank from rivers and streams. Another difference emerged when Jeralt started to call for them by name. Despite having the same name, when Jeralt called the two to give them a small task or instruction, Byleth always turned his head to stare at his father. His sister tended to ignore the man, causing Byleth to grab her hand or even lead her to Jeralt so he could talk to the two of them together. He didn’t think much of it, maybe she just didn’t want to walk over at times, and this continued until the twins’ fifth birthday.

It was a typical day for Byleth, the company had to move out and continue on their path to their next employers early in the morning so when Byleth woke up in his bed with his sister, Jeralt was nowhere in the room. He rubbed his eyes and looked over at his twin, who was also awake and staring out the window. That was a first, she tended to avoid any reflective surfaces, let alone windows. Shrugging it off, Byleth slid off the bed and started to get dressed, pulling on his relatively new coat which matched his father’s in design only. He dusted his shoulders off, feeling a small surge of pride for wearing his father’s emblem, before looking back at his sister. She hadn’t moved from her spot, still staring out the window at what he now suspected was nothing. Byleth looked around. Their father never left the twins alone for long periods of time, so he was most likely getting his men gathered to prepare them for moving before returning to get the twins. Byleth grabbed his sister’s coat, which was nearly exactly like his own but a lighter grey instead of black, and walked to the bed. He cleared his throat, causing the girl to finally move. He held out his twin’s coat as she slowly turned her head to face him, eyes widening as if seeing him for the first time. She moved from the window, her hand lingering on the windowsill until last minute, shifting to sit in the middle of the bed, crossing her legs and staring at him. Byleth blinked at her. This was strange. Usually, his sister was the one who woke earlier than him, who dragged him out of bed and got him dressed and clean before Jeralt could scold them. Instead, she stared unblinking at him with blank eyes.

“Ok wake up you two, we got a long trip ahead of us!” Jeralt suddenly announced, walking into the room and standing next to Byleth. He stared at his kids, one dressed and the other still in their nightgowns, and grew a bit concerned. “By- um, Sweetie?” He called to his daughter, catching himself before he used her name. She didn’t react, still staring at the coat in Byleth’s hands as if she never seen the garment before in her life. “Byleth?” He called, looking to his son for some explanation. Byleth gave his dad a small shrug, not noticing that his sister had reacted to her name this time. Jeralt sighed, taking the coat from Byleth to help his sister get dressed. Byleth moved towards the door as his dad walked around the room, gathering the last bit of personal items the family owned before joining him. “Alright, let’s get moving” He called, holding the door open for Byleth to slip in before he blinked and looked back at his daughter. She was standing where he left her, next to the bed she had shared with her brother, slowly taking steps towards the men. Jeralt and Byleth raised an eyebrow as the girl fell over twice on the way, Jearalt moving his body so she can grip the doorframe and shimmy out of the room fully. Byleth looked to his father, just as confused at the actions as he was, and when he got a confused look in response he tried not to frown. Obviously _something_ was wrong with his sister, but they couldn’t figure out what unless they had help— they needed a healer or something. Byleth walked to his sister and took her hand, much like she used to when they were younger. He helped her walk to the stairs, Jeralt walking slowly behind them, and when they started down Byleth simply stared as his sister sat on her bottom and scooted down the stairs like a small child.

“Byleth, honey, is something wrong with your legs?” Jeralt walked past his son to kneel beside his daughter, who was sitting halfway down the stairs and still trying to scoot down. The girl stood suddenly, as if she wanted to hide the way she was acting, but a glance down the stairs had her shrink in on herself in fear. “Well, let’s get you to the mage then” Jeralt sighed, picking his daughter up. He looked back to Byleth, who was wearing a small frown, and decided picked him up too. They walked down the stairs and to the counter, where Jeralt paid for their stay, before walking out the door and into the town.

“Think you can walk from here to the stables?” Jeralt asked as he set the kids down, his daughter nodding a bit before grabbing onto Byleth’s hand. Byleth blinked at this, clearly confused, but resolved to helping his sister walk to the stables, leading her just like she used to lead him. After deeming her healthy and fine, the twins were packed onto Jeralt’s horse and held close to his body as they started their journey out of town. Byleth watched his sister look around at the forest, staring at every leaf on every branch as if she never seen it before, thinking quietly to himself.

((Later that day, when the group had found an open area to set up camp for the night, Jeralt surprised the kids with a matching pair of medallions. He tied one around his son’s waist at his request, and gently pinned the other on his daughter’s shirt, just under her neck. The two sat close together, examining the matching pieces of metal, and Jeralt let his worries about his daughter’s health melt away. Byleth had leaned his head against his sister’s and hummed, content with not knowing what was wrong yet and resolving to help her in any way he could.))

* * *

When Byleth was learning to use the sword for the first time, his sister continued to confuse and frighten him and his father. She had to be taught to write her words and read all over again, which was a challenge all on its own, but when she started using the sword she started to take sudden and random naps, often falling asleep as Jeralt tried to explain something.

“Byleth?? Are you paying attention??” Jeralt called out, holding Byleth to his chest in a tight grip while he stared at his daughter. She was standing off to the side as Byleth tried to wrestle his way out of his father’s arms, their self defense training nearly done for the day. Byleth barely heard his sister’s response about not fighting back, and was about to start biting and scratching his way out before he groaned and went limp in Jeralt’s arms. Jeralt hummed as Byleth slipped between the small gap and landed on his own two feet. He ruffled the boy’s hair and smiled, looking at the two before nodding.

“Okay, I think you two are ready.” Jeralt announced, and Byleth felt his disappointment from earlier wash away. “Shall we start training with weapons this time?” Byleth nodded with his sister, and the two followed Jeralt closely as he walked to the tent that housed the group’s spare weapons. “I got these the other day, they should work nicely for practice.” Their father explained as he held out two wooden swords for the twins. Byleth grabbed the sword in excitement, eyes wide as he tested the weight in his hands.

“…Right…” Byleth heard his sister mumble, but he shrugged it off when she didn’t talk any more.

“Okay, let’s get you two started.” Jeralt smiled, and Byleth raced his sister back to their makeshift training grounds. Jeralt tasked the twins with a few simple formations to practice, the twins slowly learning how to hold a sword properly and some simple attacks. Jeralt walked off to inspect the camp and check in on their men, and Byleth worked alongside with his twin as they moved in eerie sync and even eerier silence. Byleth focused himself on the movements of the moves Jeralt taught him, but suddenly stopped when his sister dropped her sword and groaned a bit, holding her head.

“….Dizzy…” She explained, and Byleth took the explanation without words and handed her sword back.

“Alright, I’m done for now, lets get some real practice in you two” Jeralt called out, walking back to the twins. Byleth nodded and walked to his father with excitement in his steps. His sister moved to join the men, but suddenly started to fall over. Jeralt panicked as he watched his daughter start to fall over, and Byleth lunged to catch his twin—but just before she hit the ground, she snapped her foot outwards to catch herself. She blinked at the two before taking half a step backwards, trying to explain what was going on.

“…I…I’m better, now” Byleth murmured, and the men simply sighed in relief and stood back up. Byleth frowned a bit as Jeralt checked the girl over for any signs of sickness. When he found none, he sighed and simply started to train with the kids, the event logged in the back of his mind.

Later, as the twins laid down to sleep, Jeralt pulled Byleth aside to talk to him quietly.

“Hey, your sister is getting me really worried…” Jeralt sighed, and Byleth tilted his head to agree silently. “I’ll do my best to find out what’s going on, but can I count on you to help keep her safe?” Byleth blinked at his father. The question seemed pointless to ask; Of course he would watch over his sister, just as she did when they were younger. Byleth simply nodded, and Jeralt smiled and patted his back. “Thanks kid— don’t worry, we’ll work though this.” The two walked back to the tent, Byleth moving to lie next to his sister as Jeralt blew out the candles and plunged the tent into darkness.

“…Byleth…?” He heard her whisper, and he turned to lie on his side and look at his sister, who was lying just like him. She had a slight frown, but moved to lie closer to him, sighing a bit as she laced their fingers together. He felt the weight in his chest lift, and they drifted off holding each other close.

((When his sister continued to have irregular dizzy spells, Byleth did his best to make sure their father didn’t have too many heart attacks. Jeralt panicked every time he saw his daughter sway on her feet, but Byleth soon learned to trust his sister to shake her dizziness and ensure she didn’t fall over. It was hard, but he learned to start trusting her to take care of herself. That didn’t stop him from staying close to her and catching her when she didn’t move fast enough for his liking.))

* * *

When Byleth and his sister were finally allowed to join Jeralt in combat, he felt a small tugging sensation when he strayed too far from his sister. Byleth tried to shrug it off as the twins got suited up in some light armor and were given instructions by their father as they got ready to help the mercenary group reclaim some items stolen by a group of thieves. Jeralt had determined, based on the items stolen and the way they were take, that the thieves were small timers and simply picked their targets badly—which was safe enough to let the twins help out. Byleth stuck close to his sister as they fell into position in front of the cave that the thieves turned into their hideout. He watched as Jeralt lead the attack, and Byleth and his sister stayed in the back to provide cover and ensure no thief slipped away. The plan soon changed when the thieves, who realized they were being ambushed, scrambled to fight back against the group with weapons and magic—something that threw a huge wrench in Jeralt’s otherwise flawless plan. Jeralt cursed as he and his men were pinned behind some rocks just outside the mouth of the cave, unable to enter with the seemingly endless waves of arrows and magics the thieves kept hurling their way. Jeralt turned to see some of his men engaging with some of the thieves and cursed as the group pushed out of the cave using the cover of the archers and mages to their advantage. A lone thief carrying a stolen sword jumped over the twins’ cover, and Byleth suddenly felt dizzy, his focus dropping and allowing his shoulder to get hit with a stray arrow that knocked him over. The swordsman grinned as Byleth laid on the ground, fighting off the random spell of dizziness, but before Jeralt could move to help, Byleth threw two arrows at the man standing above her brother. The man fell to his side and cried in agony as the arrows hit him, giving Byleth just enough time to regain his senses and rip the arrow out of his shoulder. His sister rushed over, and the two used the arrows as improvised weapons to attack—stabbing the man through his eyes and killing him. Byleth wiped the blood off his face enough to let him see, and his sister helped him stand as their father and his men started to move into the cave. They shared a look before she started to fire arrows at the thieves, Byleth reaching behind him to start hurling his hand axes.

((Later, after he spoke for the first time in his life and after scrubbing the blood out of his clothes, Byleth laid in bed and stared at his hands under the moonlight. He couldn’t stop seeing the blood of his first kill on his hands, so he turned to hide his face in his sister’s back to calm his nerves. Her gentle breathing calmed him enough to fall asleep, his hands clutching at her night gown.))

* * *

When Byleth looked over at the weapons shop, he didn’t expect to see two hand daggers with bright blue handles. The blue reminded him of his sister’s hair and eyes, which he knew matched his own, and soon he was standing in front of the window display staring at the blue handles with a strange feeling in his chest. His sister soon joined him, and their hands gently touched the glass as they inspected the blades. He didn’t think too much of this, but as his father walked over to kneel down behind the twins Byleth realized his actions might have seen a bit strange.

“You two want something?” Jeralt asked with a smile, and Byleth felt his sister’s eyes on him. Realistically, he couldn’t find any practical use for the decorative weapon. It was nice, and he enjoyed looking at the colors, but the blade was undoubtedly dull and it would be fairly difficult to harm someone with it. Byleth stared at his sister, trying to look disinterested.

“N-no thank you…we’re okay…” His sister mumbled for him, and Byleth couldn’t help the small sigh of relief that slipped out as she said that. Jeralt gave the two a hard stare before standing and walking into the store.

“Excuse me?? How much for the blue dagger set?” He called out, smiling as the twins ran in after him. Byleth tugged on Jeralt’s cape in protest, not expecting his father to waltz into the store and decide to buy basically useless weapons when their group could use the money for something more useful, and based on the pleading looks his sister threw at their father, she didn’t expect it either. But soon enough, the twins were standing outside the store with identical blue handled daggers, holding the weapons in their hands with slightly surprised looks as Jeralt dropped the rest of his change into a coin sack. He smiled and ruffled their heads in sync, smiling at his kids. “It’s okay to want things, you know” He explained, and Byleth turned the thought over in his head as he turned the knife in his hands. He never felt the urge to want anything before—well, at least not physical things. He _wanted_ to fight alongside his father, to be treated as an equal and not have to protest and argue to be allowed to help out on missions. He _wanted_ to fight with more weapons, to learn to use a lance as effectively as his father, to use a hand axe or his sword better and faster than he was now. More than anything else, he wanted to protect his sister, to keep her safe and to find out why she sometimes stared at her own reflection with a sad look, as if she was expecting to see something else. This desire drove him to fall asleep clutching his his new dagger close to his body, thinking of ways to sharpen the blade to easily slice through flesh and metal.

((Later that night, Byleth swore he heard a voice chide at him, explaining that it would be fairly difficult to protect his sister with his life when she was doing the same with him. But when he woke he heard nothing and simply continued on with his day, the twins finding time to sharpen their daggers secretly away from their father’s gaze. Byleth twisted the weapon in his hands, feeling satisfied with the sharp blade.))

* * *

When Byleth first heard the words, he was sneaking back to his tent after waking in the middle of the night thirsty. He was slowly walking past the horses when he heard two men whispering the words, glancing around as if the mere mention would summon those they were talking about. He shrugged it off, focusing on slipping back into the bedroll without waking his sister. The second time he heard the words, they were spilled from drunken lips as the mercenary group celebrated another job well done. Their boss nowhere in sight, the men felt brave enough to poke and prod at the normally stoic twins as Byleth sat with his sister and practiced their words, alcohol giving them the courage to dare even speak to the creepy twins.

“The waaayyy those two -hic- dismembered that mage, ‘member thaaat?” An archer laughed, jabbing a finger into Byleth’s chest as he nudged his equally drunk companion. Byleth simply blinked at the two as they shared a drunk laugh. “They were like….what was that word Mike used…?” His companion laughed.

“Aaaashen deeemons!” He slurred, and the two laughed and threw back another drink. Byleth felt something hit his chest as his sister turned to give him a confused look at the new title they earned, but he shook it off as the two decided to retire to bed early and ignore the men’s laughter. They passed by their father on the way to their tent, ignoring the laughter their departure caused and the calls of “Demons!” the mercenaries yelled after them. Jeralt smiled a tipsy smile at his kids before joining the festivities, and Byleth fought a frown away from his face as he tugged his sister to their tent. He found it hard, but eventually slept peacefully with his sister, never expecting the nickname bestowed on them in a drunken fit to stick and grow. Soon, just as Jeralt caused men to quietly whisper about the many exploits of the legendary “Blade Breaker“, the twins started to cause the same men to quietly mutter to each other about the ruthless nature of the twin “Ashen Demons”. Byleth tried to not show the way the nickname settled uncomfortably on his chest, letting the words wash over him as he fought and killed alongside his sister and father. As mothers started to pull their small children away from the twins as they followed Jeralt around local markets and as playful children stopped their laughter and games to stare at the “scary kids” as they passed through town squares, Byleth kept close to his sister and quietly allowed the world to distance themselves away from them.

((Jeralt sat them down one day to discuss their infamous reputation, not wanting to have his kids forget the value of human lives or exactly what they were taking away as they sliced down enemy after enemy—but any lecture he could think of fell on death ears and was greeted with silence. Byleth understood his father’s words completely, and he couldn’t ignore the way he felt when he heard the name being whispered amongst townspeople—but he found that the killings never bothered him in such a way. He didn’t mind killing men to protect himself and his family, but the strange looks he received as a result never made him comfortable.))

* * *

When Byleth struck down the armored unit in front of him, he didn’t expect the man to take much damage. His axe was getting old and dull, and should’ve done nothing to the steel armor that the unit wore for protection. Yet, his chest glowed and the axe crushed the metal armor with ease, crushing the man’s ribcage and killing him with a single hit. He blinked in surprise, looking to gaze at his sister who gave him an equally confused look, but with a short nod the two resolved to discuss it with Jeralt later, focusing instead on destroying the rest of the rebelling noblemen in their way and collecting the pay for their job.

“I think you two are talking about Crests…?” Jeralt sighed later that night, sitting down on his bed in the borrowed room he shared with the twins. Byleth mirrored his father’s position on his own bed as his sister moved to cross her legs, the two staring at him in silence. Jeralt shook his head at their confused eyes and continued. “Crests are…” He stared off to the side before shaking his head and looking back at his kids. “They’re just something some noblemen tend to possess that allows them to be stronger in battle. No need to worry about it, you two definitely _don’t_ have one.” He stretched and reached for a book on his nightstand, settling onto the pillows to crack it open and read—ending the conversation. Byleth frowned, staring at Jeralt before sighing and falling back against the bed to stare at the ceiling. His sister moved to lie next to him, the exhaustion from the earlier battle finally catching up with them. He saw his sister raise and stare at her hand from the corner of his eye, and reached down to grasp at his night gown above his chest. He tried to feel for anything that was remotely similar to the feeling he felt when he crushed the armored unit, but couldn’t feel a thing. He closed his eyes and moved to rest his hand above his sister’s, and the two fell asleep with the questions they couldn’t ask their father burning inside them.

((He didn’t wake when Jeralt stood from his bed, walking over and moving the twins under the covers. He didn’t shift as he stared at them with a worried expression before blowing out the candle and setting into his own bed for the night. He did wake when his sister groaned in her sleep and curled around her stomach, sitting up and gazing at her though sleep. He eventually woke his father when the pained expression stayed on her face, and he soon found himself sitting across from his father as they cleaned bloodied sheets as his sister talked with the woman that owned the house. His father rushed though an explanation about his body and how it would start to change as he grew older, and Byleth noted that he never mentioned a glowing chest when he listed the side effects of becoming an adult.))

* * *

When Byleth cast his first spell, his father was less than impressed. The mage who was teaching the twins basic spells gave him a slew of compliments, happy that he managed to cast a Heal spell moments after his sister cast Fortify. He looked over at his father as he strolled over to the training grounds, an unreadable expression on his face as the mage excitedly praised his boss’ children.

“Your kids are natural healers Captain!” The man explained happily, and started to blabber about the other sorts of spells the twins could learn to cast for battles. Jeralt gazed at Byleth and his sister, who were now standing side by side, before looking back at the mage.

“…that’s nice, let’s just keep the magic to a minimum, okay kids?” He finally spoke, interrupting the mage and waving his hand dismissively. Byleth stared at his father with a small frown, trying to think of any good reason that the man could have for discouraging them from using magic. He couldn’t think of any, Jeralt’s secrets preventing him from coming up with anything other than wild guesses, and he turned to level a stare at his sister and raise an eyebrow. She shook her head, answering his silent question and raised her own eyebrow to pose her own. Byleth thought for a minute before shaking his head slightly as well, watching as his sister shifted her gaze at their swords which lay discarded. A small smirk broke on his face and the twins dove for their weapons at the same tme. His sister grabbed her sword first, turning to quickly slash at her unarmed brother. Byleth rolled out of the way, grabbing his sword in the process and slicing upwards to send some dirt her way and give him some cover. His sister coughed as she jumped back, managing to block his downward swing along the way. The two fell into sync as they sparred with their weapons, Jeralt stopping his argument with the mage to look over at his kids with a small smile.

((Later that day, Jeralt gently explained that he didn’t think that magic was suited for the twins, despite it’s initial appeal, and that weapons were far more reliable. While his sister took the words without question, Byleth decided to push his father’s patience and ask if they could at least heal each other form time to time. He managed to get a ‘yes’, and nodded, continuing to get ready for bed and trying to ignore the pull he felt to practice more magic after his first successful spell.))

* * *

When Byleth first dreamed of the large battle that had armies of uncountable sizes sprawling across a battlefield and killing one another, he didn’t think too much of it. The battle seemed a bit too real yes, but he was distracted at the display of power the armies displayed as the men fought each other viciously. He wandered around, feeling his hand curl around a sword as he admired the strength of the armies as they battled. He soon found himself in an empty area, and as the sun rose he saw a figure staring at him with hatred in her eyes. He blinked at her as the woman charged at him, her short sword and shield held tightly in her hands. He quickly moved to block her vicious attacks. He grunted at the effort it took to keep her from stabbing him, swinging the sword and blinking in surprise as it extended like a whip to grab and curl around her weapon. The surprise allowed her to tug and toss both weapons aside, and she charged at him with nothing but a shield on her arm. Byleth gasped as he was kicked to the ground, freezing when a dagger pressed against his throat. She grinned at him, and soon Byleth was being stabbed over and over, blood spraying out from the wounds and staining the mud a dark red color.

He gasped and jolted awake in the bedroll he shared with his sister, not caring if she woke up. He tried to steady his breathing as he shook slightly, a thin layer of sweat on his skin.

“…Byleth…?” He heard his sister murmur and she sat up slowly, gently adjusting his nightgown before it fell off his shoulders and wiping away his sweat.

“…I’m fine” He finally managed to mutter, and glared as his sister huffed in response. He was pulled into a hug before he could protest further, and he sighed a bit in her arms.

“Okay, then let’s go back to sleep” His sister near whispered, and Byleth nodded and nuzzled his face in the crook of her neck as they lied back down.

“…I dreamt of a large battle.” Byleth admitted, pulling his sister close to him as he explained his dream. “The enemy won…and a woman was stabbing me over and over…” He closed his eyes, willing the image of the woman’s face away.  
“I…had that dream too…” His sister confessed, and before he could press her for details their father shifted in his own bed, a mere five feet away from the twins. They froze and held their breaths, watching as Jeralt simply turned over to face his kids in his sleep. As they let go of their breaths in relief, Byleth slipped under the covers to attempt to fall back asleep, feeling his sister do the same. He gently grabbed her hand and laced their fingers together as they curled next to each other.

“…S-so you won’t have nightmares,” He lied, closing her eyes and squeezing her hand when he saw that face again. Byleth felt his sister squeeze back, and the two fell asleep easily despite their nightmares.

((Byleth continued to have nightmares, and the battle continued to wage on endlessly. Sometimes he won, killing a woman with long green hair with a jagged sword straight in the gut—other times he lost. But that night, he dreamt he was in a small, underground tomb with his sister. Finding a stray stick and chasing his sister around to play pretend, Byleth couldn’t fight the feeling that someone was watching them from the stone throne atop the stairs in the back of the room. He was surprised to find the feeling comforting and not unnerving.))

* * *

When Byleth was woken up for the last time as a mercenary, he groaned and shifted away from his father’s hands. He had a restless night, still on edge from their last battle, and as a result he couldn’t relax unless he was armed. His usual blue handled dagger didn’t give him enough security, so he managed to sneak his longsword into the shared bed and cradled the weapon in his hands as he clung to his sister, waking and shifting every few hours in fear of an attack. The fact that his sister was injured in their last battle did nothing to ease his mind, and he didn’t think twice when he pulled her close, forgetting that her injury could easily open up as he squeezed her.

“Come on you two, get up!” Jeralt sighed as he stood above the twins in the early morning, and Byleth ignored his words and promise of cold water on his face as he fell back asleep in the bed. He was finally greeted with a dream, a good indication that he was finally in a deep sleep. Byleth looked around and smelt burning flesh and felt the heat of raging fires, but before he could move he felt the ground beneath him give out, causing him to fall and crash into cold waters. Byleth heard a scream akin to a beast, perhaps even a yell of his name, just before the water surrounded him. He fought to right himself and get out of the water, only to sink to the bottom. Just as his lungs failed and he heaved in a large gulp of water, he found himself on a cold stone floor. Byleth coughed up water as a sharp laughter rung in his ears.

“Honestly! Did you think that you could drink all the water away??” The voice teased, and Byleth glared up at the figure of a child standing in front of a throne. He could never make out her face in his dreams, but he could feel her teasing smirk looking down on him. “As much as I want to continue to tease you, you need to wake up before your body actually gets wet. But if it does, try not to _drown_ this time?” The voice teased, and the room started to flood around him. Byelth tried to stay above the water this time, but he was pulled under as something grabbed his foot and tugged. He gasped sharply, jolting awake and sitting up, his vision swimming as he clutched his sword. Byleth heaved as he tried to ground himself, his sister waking and curling on her stomach with a face just as pale as his own.

“Well good morning to you two, sleep well?” Jeralt half joked, and Byleth found enough energy to glare at the man as he sat on the bed with them. “Same dreams huh? Who had which one this time?” Jeralt asked softly, and Byleth found his voice first.

“I…i was with some…_child_.” He nearly spat, frowning as he remembered the teasing tone and tossing the sheets aside to get dressed. He changed into his dark clothes, snapping on armor as his sister slowly sat up and clutched at her abdomen. She had gone to bed in her full armor,Byleth never understood how she dealt with the discomfort, and she quietly explained her own dreams.

“…I was on…on a battle, battlefield.” She near whispered, and Byleth smiled a bit when she managed to not stutter too much. Somewhere along the line, Byleth started to stutter and pause when talking to others. She never did that when she talked to her brother, and only sometimes paused awkwardly when speaking to Jeralt—but when she was forced to talk to strangers she tended to freeze and stumble over her words. Jeralt and Byleth were slowly helping her get over it, but Byleth knew that she would stutter for the rest of her life unless she learned to put on a brave face when she talked—like what he did.

“I remember those dream, tough when they get swapped huh?” Jeralt hummed, patting his daughter’s back and smirking at his son. “I’d think you’d fare better with a child than on a battlefield, son.” He teased, and Byleth snorted at his words. “Anyway, be ready to leave at daybreak.” Jeralt instructed, and decided to not ignore the groans that left the twin’s mouths. “Oh come on, everyone else is ready!” He sighed, and Byleth was about to argue back when an archer burst into the room.

“Captain!” He yelled, and Jeralt groaned.

“Yes? What is it now?” He stood and walked to his subordinate. Byleth looked at his sister before quickly finishing changing out of his sleepwear. His sister helped him snap on his knee armor and he tossed her some weapons before they ran out the door to join their father. He was currently standing with his back to them, looking at three children. Well, they were only a few years younger than Byleth if he had to guess, but they looked like children all the same. The twins reached their father, each one standing on either side of him, just in time to hear him address the kids.

“Okay okay, what do we have here?” Jeralt asked the kids with a small sigh, and Byleth took the time to examine the figures in front of him. Two males and one female, he guessed, the boys looking like complete opposites—one had a lazy and casual stance as he fiddled with his bow and the other was standing at attention with a lance at his side. The female was a mix of the two boys, her stance was formal and at the ready but her eyes held a sort of casual look as she examined the three. The lance boy spoke first, explaining that the three were being chased by bandits and had separated from their companions. Byleth’s eyes shifted to the area around them, inspecting the trees as the kids continued to talk with Jeralt. Seeing no movement, he was about to focus back on the kids when he saw something shift in the corner of his eyes.

“Captain! They’re on their way over!” A man from the mercenary group cried out, and Byleth gripped his sword as the kids whirled around to look behind them. He caught their worried looks and was floored with a sudden urge to shield them and protect them from any harm.

“Get into battle formation!” Jeralt called out to his men, who had stopped packing up and now moved to grab their weapons. “Byleth, you take the boys and start thinning their numbers. Byleth, _you_ the, uh, female and I will flank them and find their commander.” Jeralt ordered, and Byleth ran off to inspect the movement he caught before orders were given. The boys quickly caught up to him as he took out the first bandit, and looked around as others started to emerge from the trees. Byleth noticed the way the blonde boy gripped his lance with a slight shake, and saw how the dark skinned boy’s confident smirk faltered when he saw the corpse.

“Calm down,” He stated, surprising the kids along with himself. Their eyes on him, Byleth gave them a stare before turning to face his opponents. “…It’ll be alright. You don’t have to kill anyone today, and you won’t be dying either.” He explained, leveling his sword at his next target. He heard two sighs of relief, and the three fell into a triangle formation as the rest of the bandits started to attack them. Byleth instructed the blonde boy to use his lance and jab at enemies who got too close, and helped the archer hit the enemies in areas that would only stop their movements, not kill them. He learned their names along the way, and cut down a man who got too close to Claude for comfort. Byleth stabbed another man in the chest before he could sneak up on Dimitri, and the three moved their formation to meet up with Jeralt and the girls.

Byleth cursed himself for being stupid. He let his sister cut down the enemy commander, and was focused on counting the corpses when a knocked out enemy regained his senses. He was a hand axe unit too, just his luck. Byleth managed to catch the movement out of the corner of his eye as the man raised his hand and lobbed a hand axe at Dimitri’s body. He abandoned his place with Claude and his sister to run at Dimitri, managing to grab him by his bright blue cape and pulled the boy to his body.

“You’ll DIE!!” He heard a man yell, and he twisted his body to shield the boy from the axe as it flew towards them. He closed his eyes and waited for the axe to sink into his flesh and cut into his stomach, feeling a pang of guilt for leaving his sister alone— but it never came. He opened his eyes as time froze around him and his surroundings melted away to a stone room. He stood and locked eyes with his sister, who was also curled around something (or _someone_) before she stood as well, moving to stand next to him.

“Honestly! What were you accomplishing with that little stunt?! It’s like you’re _trying_ to get me killed you fools! Or even worse, kill _each other_!” A voice called out, and Byleth’s eyes widened at the familiarity of it. He turned to face a large stone throne, and saw the same figure from his dreams atop the stairs, staring down at them from the throne. This time, however, he could clearly see her frowning face, the bright green hair framing her body and the strange clothes she wore. The girl sighed again and shook her head.

“Well it’s _fine_. After all, if you don’t know the value of your own life, you’re not going to protect it very well, are you? Of course not…” She sighed, standing and causing Byleth to tense and grab at his sword, moving to stand between his sister and the mysterious girl.

“Well then, I guess it’s up to me to guide you from now on, right?” The child grinned, and chuckled a bit. “Or I guess I should say, guide you _again_.” She winked at his sister, and Byleth frowned in confusion. “You,” The girl started, staring into Byleth’s eyes, “can call me Sothis, but…” She shifted to gaze at his sister. “I’m also known as, ‘the Beginning’.” Sothis smiled at the twins, and started to walk down.

((Sothis sighed as the stared at the two figures in front of her. She had _just_ managed to regain her strength enough to awaken and offer her assistance to them, and they go and nearly get themselves _killed_. She shook her head as a thought wormed it’s way into her mind: ‘Twins are dangerous’.))

**Author's Note:**

> That was part one! I'm working on the second part, where we'll follow the twins as they enter the monastery and start teaching, but I'm working on the male and female twins' stories at the same time. I'm planning on at least three/four parts, with one bonus chapter exploring my ships for the AU. Sorry for the wait, hope you like it!
> 
> Also, I would recommend you read Female Byleth's story. It's like the opposite side of the coin, some gaps in this story are filled in that one and vice versa. Of course, it's not necessary; but if you're confused I highly recommend it.  
((Male Byleth's story is shorter than his sister's for now, but that'll change. Wink wink))


End file.
